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Counter-surveillance:How to prevent its dirty TricksHome > Home Security > Counter Surveillance Counter-surveillance, also called anti-surveillance, anti spyware or anti spy activity, is any form of technological measures that can be taken by interested malicious people to block surveillance cameras and to void the purpose itself of home surveillance. As such, Counter-surveillance actions need to be addressed explicitly in this Guide, so that whoever plans to implement a home surveillance system be advised on the limits of effectiveness of surveillance cameras, for behaving accordingly and protect investment and home. It would be a pity to spend considerable time and money for building a well conceived home surveillance system... and have it turned useless by some easy Counter-surveillance means. The mere possibility of Counter-surveillance tricks being played against your system, requires to foresee the risks, to acknowledge the weak points of unprotected surveillance cameras in order to take at least the most obvious provisions to assure meaningful and continued operation. Warning We want to warn users that surveillance systems may be the object of determined Counter-surveillance efforts to sabotage, spoil, shut off, ruin, break and destroy them, from the part of hostile people wishing to avoid the proofs of their malicious acts and their own identification. If you plan your own home surveillance, you must know how fragile it may be, if not protected effectively against Counter-surveillance. This page of your Guide intends to alert you on the risks that your system may be subject to. When you plan to install your home surveillance system, it will pay to be concerned by possible vandal actions, in order to take proper precautions. Indeed whoever would not want to be observed and on record might be tempted to disable the system, if easily accessible. Therefore one should dedicate thought and ingenuity to pile up hindrances and obstacles, to make the task of Counter-surveillance difficult or impossible to achieve in a short time, to convince would be offenders to give-up any vicious attack without trying. Precautions Cameras should be out of reach, especially of children or anybody else, by being located, if outdoors, high on the wall possibly under a protective roof overhang. The installation should have needed the use of a long ladder not to be kept in view or easily brought in. You may wish to play the part of the Counter-surveillance saboteur of your own system, in search of possible weak spots like those where a minimal destructive intervention shuts off the whole operation. The weakness of a surveillance system are many, the power supply and the transmission cable being only the most obvious targets of Counter-surveillance. A live power line is not a tempting object to cut off, because of the risk of electric shock. However, as we saw elsewhere, many surveillance cameras are powered by low voltage supply (easily cut off without danger). Other ways of sabotaging the power line without being hurt may be available to determined and inventive perverse minds. The coaxial cable, if the signals are transmitted by cable, must be hidden from view or hardened in a protective metal tubing, to discourage the thought of cutting it off. In this respect wireless systems may have at least the advantage of not needing a cable. The only thing that may put off ill-intentioned persons planning Counter-surveillance attacks, is the risk for them of being caught on record when approaching the camera for sabotaging it. A system might be designed therefore to have a visible exposed camera controlling a sensitive spot, and a hidden camera aimed at the surroundings of the first one, for documenting any attempts of Counter-surveillance to harm its operation. If an intentional blackout to the whole house, caused by criminals, is to be feared, then provisions for uninterrupted power supply (UPS) should be arranged for camera and recorder.
Daily check It would be unwise to presume that once installed your home surveillance camera system will always be working to your satisfaction. This would be true in case it is no more than a Dummy Camera, put there in full view just for deterrence purposes. But it will achieve its purpose only if it appears to be in operating order. As with every electronic appliance, or for that matter with anything at all, malfunctions can always happen, and they often occur when their damage is most harmful. We are not talking here however of periodic maintenance, designed to keep the system always functional, which anyway should be scheduled at regular times, as recommended elsewhere A daily minimal visual check is something everyone can do, especially those that put in place the whole system to begin with, and know all details about it. Disclosing hidden cameras The following information has a twofold purpose. To inform you how you can disclose hidden cameras if you suspect that they may be operated against you without your knowledge. And to let you know that those observed by your surveillance with your hidden camera, may discover your plot if they want. Is there any chance that a surveillance system be operated against you? In that case, assuming that your actions are legal and that you want only to prevent the invasion of your privacy, you may wish to protect yourself and to unmask the agents trying to spy on you. The full range of a comprehensive search of this kind lies outside the scope of this website, but is briefly addressed at the end of this page. However a limited search may be done by suitable active Counter-surveillance measures. First in the list is uncovering if hidden cameras are controlling your actions. We repeat our vigorous warning against spying on locations with expectancy of privacy. Although we strongly warned against illegal use of hidden cameras, we think it is proper to advise that, however well disguised and hidden, those cameras are not beyond the risk of being discovered, if a determined intention drives a thorough search. It is therefore pertinent to give a thought to the consequences of having your hidden camera discovered to your shame and contempt, and possibly prosecution, unless, as we repeatedly stressed, your application is perfectly legal as it should always be. As hidden cameras can be discovered, you should know that your own covert cameras risk to be detected. At the same time it may help if you learn how to guard yourself from hidden cameras controlling you, by knowing how to expose them if necessary, by using Counter-surveillance to your advantage.
It is called SpyFinder® and you can order it online for a low price by clicking on SpyFinder.
It is battery operated and in operation it emits a few beams of blinking invisible infrared light that are mirrored back to the viewer from the objective of the hidden camera, however small and disguised. The reflected beam is highlighted in the device and the viewer is immediately alerted.
Extensive searches Counter-surveillance measures against spying activities (anti-spy) may include sophisticate technologies and means for detecting and eliminating hostile eavesdropping devices and computer or telephone bugging activities. This kind of extensive search of a place, generally beyond the needs of a home, is best performed by a company of detectives specializing in such operations, called technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM). This aspect, as well as computer security, is not in the scope of our interests and will not be dealt with in this website. If you wish to be concerned more in depth with this subject we would like to suggest that you look for an excellent article available at Conclusion In this page we tried to alert our readers on some simple precautions that should be taken in any case to protect your home surveillance system. It is like making sure that your entrance door has a good lock and that you shut it when you go out. You can confidently implement your home security plan if you do not neglect important points relative to how accessible and defended is your hardware, to discourage any Counter-surveillance attack.
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You should be advised that a simple hand held device is available, to whoever wants to scan a place in search of a hidden camera.
